Here Come the Brides Episode Guide
First Season
1. The Pilot --Here Come the Brides
In the classic series opener, set in post-Civil War Seattle, loggers
Jason, Joshua, and Jeremy Bolt (a gorgeous trio if ever there
was one!) make a deal with mill owner Aaron Stempel: if Aaron
foots the bill for ship's passage and a year's "upkeep"
for 100 marriageable ladies from New Bedford, Mass., then the
Bolt brothers will make sure that all the "brides" stay
in Seattle for a full year---or they lose Bridal Veil Mountain,
which is their whole fortune and their inheritance. (The loggers
in the Bolt camp had rebelled and demanded that they needed "real"
women--not the kind you find in San Francisco! -- or they would
quit.)
In New Bedford, a dashing , eloquent Jason (the oldest brother)
beguiles the assembled ladies with his tales of the beauty and
grandeur of Seattle, telling more than a few large white lies
in the process! The ladies agree to the voyage but don't know
about the deal with Stempel...at least, not yet.
On the ocean voyage back to Seattle, we get to know more about
the main characters --including middle brother Joshua who is logical,
passionate, and a quiet man .We also learn more about scatterbrained
Biddie Cloom ; tipsy Captain Clancey (owner of the small, run-down
cargo ship they're on) and the headstrong and beautiful leader
of the women, Candy Pruitt . We also get to know Jeremy, the youngest
Bolt, honest, brave and painfully shy. Jeremy and Candy establish
an immediate rapport... it will mature, over the course of the
next two years, into a deep and lasting love, built on trust as
well as on many shared experiences...
Back in Seattle, we meet Lottie Hatfield , the heart-of-gold saloon
owner; Ben Perkins, the store owner; Swede, and others. (Stempel
is something of a villain in the first season, but softens up
considerably in the second.) The brides are horrified at the sight
of Seattle, but, with Candy in the lead, they're going to try
to make the best of it.
2.A Crying Need:
The brides realize that after marriage they'll be having babies(!) and will need the services of a doctor (Seattle has none). They demand that one be hired, or they'll leave. While Jason is away on the mission, Jeremy is badly injured in a dynamiting accident; Jason returns with Dr. Allyn Wright (Kathleen Widdoes) in time for her to save Jeremy's life. But even this proof of her competency is not enough to overcome the prejudice expressed by the men (a woman doctor?), and the brides are even more opposed to the idea.
3. And Jason Makes Five
Holly Houston (Jennifer West), a rough-around-the-edges Annie Oakley type, arrives in Seattle with three young children and proceeds to declare that Jason is the father of the children. Jason has a hard time convincing Seattle that he's not; a judge declares that Ms. Houston (she's not their mother ,but their aunt) must return the children to their Ohio grandparents. Before going, however , she takes a crash course on how to be a lady.
4. The Man of the Family
Seattle's preacher (William Schallert) wants to marry Polly Blake (Loretta Leversee). She is mysteriously reluctant; her young son Tommy (Stefan Arngrim) arrives from back East; whereupon Aaron declares that she is unmarriageable and that the Bolts have lost their bet.
It all works out in the end, but the upset son first must be convinced to give his future stepfather a chance.
5. A Hard Card to Play
Professional gambler Lorenzo (Phil Bruns) comes into town and Clancey ends up losing his boat to him in a card game. If it were not for Joshua's mathematical mind (and his patience), the Bolts would have lost their mountain in their desperate bid to win back Clancey's boat.
6. Letter of the Law
The citizens of Seattle are all in despair over the new sheriff they have hired (JohnMarley)--who has made Big Swede his deputy, no less. The sheriff is completely over-the-top in his strict interpretations of Seattle's laws, and is driving everyone crazy in the process. They will be stuck with him for three years,unless something can be done! Jason, fast talker that he is, trips the sheriff up and gets him to resign. Seattle can return to its depravity!
7. Lover and Wanderers
In a very complex plot, the Bolts are on a huge logging job with a penalty clause when lovesick Swede, their best worker, decides to quit. But there's more: Aaron, with (of course) ulterior motives, has put a bug into Miss Essie's ear (she's Swede's lady-love) that Jason's in love with her; he also convinces Swede to play man-about-town, and meanwhile, the loggers are furious with Jason--they believe he fired Swede in order to steal Miss Essie ! Chaos ensues, but there is a happy ending.
8. A Jew Named Sullivan
Joshua is in love with beautiful Rachel(Linda Marsh), who tearfully breaks off their relationship when she admits to him that she is Jewish and that,although she cares for him, she wants to marry a Jewish man. There are none to be found in Seattle, of course...but wait! One of the loggers, Sullivan(Dan Travanty, later Travanti!) , raised by a Catholic stepfather, reveals to Jason that he is Jewish. Matchmaking follows, not without some fireworks, but meanwhile bigotry rears its ugly head in the girls' dormitory against Rachel--one bride's prejudice is so intense that she's going to leave Seattle. This episode handles a difficult subject very sensitively, although a few moments are cloying. In the end, Joshua is left sad and alone.
9. The Standoff
Stempel buys a strip of land that the Bolts had always used to get their logs down to the river for transport. He'll let them use the strip again in exchange for 51% ownership of their operation. Jason flatly refuses, and the Bolt brothers and their men spend a good deal of time being beat up by the thugs Stempel has hired to keep them away from that land. In an act of desperation, Jason bets Stempel that he can fell a tree faster than the head thug, a huge man named Ox (Don Pedro Colley). If Jason wins, he can use the land again; if not, he gives up the 51% ownership to Stempel.
10. A Man and His Magic
A traveling salesman/magician named Merlin(Jack Albertson) visits Seattle and offers to stop the
torrential rains which have halted all work on the mountain for both Jason's and Stempel's men. The townspeople laugh at him (except for Jeremy), but agree to let him try. In the morning, the rain stops. Jeremy is so taken by Merlin's magic that he wonders if his magic can also cure stuttering? Jeremy is indeed cured , coming completely out of his shell in the process, but Candy is not so sure that she cares for this transformation...a very moving episode, with fantastic acting from Bobby.
11. A Christmas Place
Storekeeper Ben Jenkins (Hoke Howell)and his wife Emily (Dolores Mann)await the birth of their child as the homesick brides try to prepare for their first Christmas in Seattle. The birth of the baby boy on Christmas Day cheers them, but panic ensues, for two small girls have spirited the child away into the freezing cold! The girls feared the child would be killed, as was Jesus, who, after all, was ALSO born on Christmas(so the girls' reasoning goes). At the show's end, we are treated to a beautiful Christmas duet sung by Joshua and Jeremy, who accompany themselves on guitars...if only the song were longer!
12. After a Dream Comes Mourning
Biddie convinces Clancey to recall the story of the struggle to get the brides' dormitory built, Stemple's schemes to thwart the operation, and the brides' initial depression upon arriving in Seattle--their supposed dream home ...meanwhile, Clancey and Biddie get sloshed on his booze! Mary Ellen, one of the brides , is played by Karen Carlson, future real-life bride of David Soul.
13. Log Jam
Jeremy and Candy celebrate their engagement , along with all of Seattle, but their joy is short-lived. Another logger named Lew(Sam Melville) convinces a dubious Jeremy that he should not set a date , but make it a long-term engagement, like Lew has done with his girl. When the brides hear of this ploy, they angrily concoct one of their own, and go on strike .
14. The Firemaker
A lovesick young Scotsman, shy Davey Hingle (Hagan Beggs) is jealous for the attention of one of the brides, who happens to care for another man. Fires are mysteriously being set on the mountain, and Hingle's rival is the prime suspect...but they've got the wrong man. Ed Asner also guest stars.
15. Wives for Wakando
A friendly group of Indians living near Seattle and led by Wakando(Michael Ansara) make the generous offer of many fur pelts in trade for some brides. Jason tells them that this is impossible , but Wakando won't take no for an answer. The Indians abduct several brides that night (including Candy and a rather pleased Biddie), leaving the pelts as a trade.Jeremy is frantic, and the Bolts immediately set off to negotiate with Wakando, who will not budge, since the Indians, mysteriously, have no women . An elaborate hoax solves the problem, but Biddie was enjoying herself......!
16. A Kiss Just For So
In this heartbreaking episode, Jason,normally so adept at avoiding romantic commitments, falls deeply in love with Dena (pronounced Dana)Newkirk(Kathryn Hayes), an Amish woman who has arrived with her father ,brother, and other Amish settlers. He wants her so badly that he is willing to become Amish for her sake (this is the only way they can stay together), which means renouncing all pride and all violence; the Amish will not even raise a hand in self-defense. Jason painfully endures the taunts of a small group of troublemakers (they are extortionists, provoking the loggers to strike), but when their leader begins to torment Dena, Jason can bear it no longer, and fights back. It seems that their love was not meant to be. The Amish move on to the Yakima Valley ,where they will plant apple orchards, but Jason has lost the only woman he has ever really loved. A real tour-de-force for Robert Brown; this writer is always left sobbing at the show's end!
17. Democracy Inaction
A visiting Washington Territory governement official, Mr. Leonard Spencer(Logan Ramsey) informs everyone that they need to fill out reams of paperwork if they want the highway being built in Washington to run through Seattle.Meanwhie, Stempel is having the town surveyed and plans to collect rent from the brides, as their dorm is built on HIS land(so it seems), not Jason's. Mr. Spencer glibly informs them that Stempel's claim is invalid, as Seattle doesn't exist...it has no mayor, no laws, no charter, etc. If they want that road, they those things by the time he returns , in 2 weeks. Political parties are hastily organized, with Stempel , Joshua , and -- Miss Essie(now Swede's wife) as candidates! And the women want to vote,too; after all, the women in Wyoming can vote! The scriptwriters are very honest with this subject, having the men (even our dear Jason and Josh) stating But women can't VOTE! It's just not DONE! Only Jeremy holds out for the women's rights, even going so far as to side with Miss Essie..there is a twist ending, and an (apparent) tie in the mayor's race, but Seattle becomes an incorporated township!
18. One Good Lie Deserves Another
...so Jason states to con man/swindler/speculator Mr. Matthew Muncy(played by veteran actor Lew Ayres, who recently passed away), at the end of this complex episode. Muncy comes to visit as the brides are celebrating --the Bolts have given each of them an acre of land as a gift. Muncy, an old flame of Lottie's (and a con artist at love as well) starts lying to all the brides, convincing them to sell their land to him, convincing Lottie to sell half her interest in the saloon to him, and making Clancey terribly jealous, to boot. Clancey loses his boat to Muncy in an effort to help get the brides their land back-- and much much more.
In an elaborate sting operation, Jason secures the aid of a territorial surveyor , and they trick Muncy regarding Seattle's actual value; Muncy the con man is out-conned. Moral: don't mess with Jason Bolt-- he'll win every time!
19. One To a Customer
Adam Wilson(Peter Jason), a young Mormon, has come to take five brides (including Candy and Biddie), but does not tell them the whole truth at first, as he is afraid he'll frighten them off. In a coy ploy designed to repay Adam for his deception, and to upset their distrustful men (except for Jeremy, who's out of town and is missing all this), four of them agree to go with him!! Jason is convinced that the women are merely playing a trick, and in turn convinces the men of this. In their pride, with Candy in the lead, they defy all the men, and the situation gets completely out of hand. After a long talk, Candy and Jason agree that, to put him off, Adam needs to see just how miserable he'd really be with four women under one roof! The fireworks REALLY start when Jeremy returns, only to discover his own Candy and three other brides in a strange man's bedroom and dressed in nightgowns! Jason's brilliant thinking, as usual, saves everything, in an ending that really keeps you guessing!
20. A Dream That Glitters
Candy's grandfather(Will Geer) pays Seattle a surprise visit, to Candy's great delight. He tells Candy and Jeremy of his lifelong dream of finding a mountain of gold . When he begins prospecting at a nearby mineshaft, disaster strikes; it caves in, and Mr. Pruitt is trapped. He's found, badly injured, by Jeremy and the other men [hmm--Jeremy as an EMT--we like it!]. When Candy believes that her grandfather will die, she begs an unwilling Jeremy to melt down some of her gold jewelry , to fool him into thinking that he really did strike gold,and so to die happily. The plan backfires when the old man is revived by this find -- now the charade must be kept up, and more gold placed in the mine (Jeremy uses a family heirloom, a watch).Seattle is then in turmoil, as the lust for gold causes fights among the townspeople. To save the peace, Mr. Pruitt tells them all that the find was a hoax, and returns to New Bedford, still believing that the mountain holds gold; for Candy never had a chance to tell him the truth.
21. The Crimpers
Joshua, Jeremy and Corky are enjoying themselves in a saloon in Port Angeles.The Bolts are abducted, leaving only Corky to report to Jason and the others what has happened. Clancey is sure that they have been shanghaied, kidnapped to work on a whaling vessel, by crimpers(thugs who do the job for cash). Clancey and Stempel help Jason to pose as a potential catch , in order to nab the crimpers and get his brothers back. Meanwhile, Candy and Biddie stow away on the ship in order to secretly aid the mission.(A priceless scene finds the two dressed as saloon girls and recognized by a horrified Jason, who reads them the riot act!) But Lottie is the one who reveals the final puzzle piece--the head criminal is none other than sweet-looking Mrs. Fletcher(Rosemary De Camp).Josh and Jeremy are rescued in the nick of time.[ This revealing episode is very significant in the humanizing of Stempel's character. In the previous episode, Aaron had helped rescue Candy's grandfather; here, he helps Jason to find his brothers, with no motive other than real affection for the Bolts, which he's too proud to admit to. Mark Lenard's fine acting is what makes Aaron's change of heart believable.]
22.Mr and Mrs. J. Bolt
One of the brides, Peggy (Mary Jo Kennedy) has written to her Uncle Jebediah (Henry Jones)in New Bedford that she is married --to Joshua! She panics when he plans to visit Seattle, because,as her legal guardian,he has the power to take her away from Seattle if she is not really married. She had left New Bedford as a minor, without his permission, but the Bolts were not aware of this. They not only have to keep this information from Stempel, but must pass Joshua and Peggy off as having been married for six months already..Uncle Jebediah (Henry Jones) arrives, and he turns out to be a scheming opportunist who has gambled away Peggy's inheritance. Now he blackmails Jason; he'll tell the authorities that the Bolts abducted Peggy from New Bedford unless he gets part ownership of their operation. He then finds out the real truth and plans to sue them anyway. Josh and Peggy want to help somehow, and since they believe they can turn affection into love, they elope. Josh is beating Jeremy to the altar!
23.A Man's Errand
Joshua and Jason initially laugh at the idea of Jeremy representing the Bolts at an important lumber bid in San Francisco, but Jeremy is adamant ,and they give him a chance. Candy and Jeremy have a terrible falling-out (over the same issue)just before he departs. Despite an obvious case of nerves at the meeting(he's by the far the youngest sales rep there,and the greenest), Jeremy wins the huge project . Captain Silas Harmon (John Anderson) is the wealthy buyer, and is impressed not only with Jeremy's expertise about lumber, but with his simple honesty. All's right with the world when Jeremy arrives back in Seattle; but when he runs to tell Candy the news,he finds her in the woods, kissing a total stranger (Ward Kimberly, played by Jeff Pomerantz)...or so it appears. Jeremy is so upset that he considers Harmon's offer to sign on with the crew of his ship . This is a very very tense episode, well-acted; Jeremy doesn't get mad that often, but when he does,watch out!
24.Loggerheads
Two lawyers, Barnabas Smith(Hal England) and Victor Webster(Alan Oppenheimer)just happen to arrive in Seattle at about the same time, and overhear Josh arguing with Jason over Josh's idea of a profit-sharing plan for the loggers. But the friendly attorneys are actually brothers who travel from town to town, stir up a lot of business (i.e.fights), take the money, and run. The Bolt brothers are truly at odds when Josh splits off to form his own company, with Stempel supplying the capital. Jeremy is acting as a go-between but even he cannot save the situation. The younger attorney, Barnabas, who has grown to care for Biddie very much in the short time they've been there, decides to come clean and tell the circuit judge the whole truth. He is tired of being pushed around by Victor. The Bolt brothers are therefore reunited by the division of the brother attorneys. It is sad for Biddie that Barnabas cannot stay, because she finally had found someone to love...
25.Marriage Chinese Style
In this comic episode, Jeremy makes the mistake of coming to the aid of a young Chinese woman , Toy Quan(Linda Dangcil) while in San Francisco. Since Jeremy has saved her life, she of course must marry him--according to her customs, she belongs to him now!
Jeremy doesn't know what to do; no matter what he does, Toy Quan won't leave him. (Candy's getting a bit annoyed!) Finally, the Bolts retrieve her original fiance, Lin (Bruce Lee!), and arrange for HIM to save Toy's life. That way she can marry Lin, and Jeremy is off the hook. A fun (if exasperating!) episode.
26.The Deadly Trade
Will Harmon, a young logger, is killed at the logging camp in a freak accident while Jeremy and Josh are playing "monkey-in the-middle" with his lunch kit, and they feel responsible for his death. An Indian from the Bolt camp relays the news of Will's accidental death to his father(R.G.Armstrong) and three brothers, all rough mountain men. The father, although he has not seen his son Will for 10 years, vows revenge, and wants to take Will's young son Joseph away from the boy's mother(Jacqueline Scott), so that he can raise him himself. His ultimatum to Jason: give up the boy, or Seattle will be burned to the ground. Will's widow and son are smuggled out of Seattle by the Bolts that night; we also see the three grown sons chafing at their father's dominance over them. By morning, they learn of the boy's disappearance; they hold Clancey hostage and force Lottie to tell where the Bolts have gone . In the final confrontation, Jason challenges the elder Harmon to fight him, one on one, but when the man tells his sons to do it for him, two of them rebel. The third son fights Jason, as Jeremy and Joshua look on in anguish. This is a dramatic, well-written, and well-acted end to the first season .
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